3rd August, 2024. Pre-season friendly
And that was pre-season! it seems to have been going on a while but now we can look forward to the real thing next Saturday lunchtime. Leeds completed their five main games today (including that BCD game at Lincoln) with a fifth comfortable win, this time against a useful Valencia side, a side that finished 9th in La Liga last season.
We all look forward to the final pre-season game as it is usually the case that the starting line up in that one is the starting XI for the first league game the following week and I think that will probably be the case this time, even though Daniel Farke was coy about that in his post-match interview today, talking about the “bones” of the team we see next week likely to have been seen today. I’m guessing, injuries apart, we’ll see exactly the same starting XI take to the field against Pompey on Saturday. If it is then it will be:
Meslier Bogle Rodon Struijk Firpo Gruev Georginio Ampadu Gnonto Joseph James
It’s the team I’ve thought we’d start with for a couple of weeks although of course I expected Cree Summerville to be in there instead of Dan James. As it is, this is a great opportunity for Dan to quickly get stuck into a role he took a while to excel in last season. We do have options now of course, in particular in the shape of Joe Rothwell, Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford (if he stays fit), Brenden Aaronson (if he’s not been put off by the ridiculous booing we heard today), and Max Wober. All of them decent players in their own right that can do a job but I doubt we will see them for more than a few minutes until Middlesbrough come to town a week on Wednesday.
I thought it was a strong performance today, although obviously it began to unravel once the substitutions started on the hour mark. By the end, all ten outfield players had been subbed, further adding to the suggestion that they are indeed the starting XI for that Pompey game. Leeds dominated for long periods and created numerous chances with most of them having at least a touch of Georginio in their creation. Georgi was sublime and carefree today showing all the strength and ball control we got used to seeing for the majority of last season but with an added vision to his game, instinctively knowing where to play the ball before he’s even received it. Our two first half goals had more than a touch of Georginio in them.
The first, in the 14th minute, started deep in Leeds territory with Ilia Gruev, looking as precise as always in everything he does. He played the ball wide left to Firpo who in turn touched it to Willy Gnonto. Willy poked it inside (behave!) to Georginio who flicked it first time into the path of Firpo running through a couple of defenders. Junior couldn’t control the ball and a defender got a touch but he only knocked it back to Georginio. Quick as a flash, almost Pablo-like, Georginio saw the run of Mat Joseph and another first-time touch got Joseph in a bit of space. He still had plenty to do but two good touches with his right boot bamboozled three defenders and his third touch slid the ball unerringly into the net. That was a fourth goal in pre-season for young Mateo, matching the four scored by Joel Piroe.
The second, in the 41st minute was all about Georgi. Ethan Ampadu played the ball forward looking for Georginio but over hit the pass which went past our midfield magician. Not to worry though, a defender tried to take the loose ball around Georgi who snaked out a boot and quickly won it back, 35 yards from goal. Cue one of those characteristic hunch-back runs, not dissimilar to the great Eddie Gray, into the area. He turned one defender so sharply that he stumbled and fell on his backside. Georgi cut inside, then went outside and then, as two more defenders ran back to guard the goal-line, Georgi simply pitched the ball over them both and the ball dropped into the net just under the crossbar. It was a delightful little chip that Rory Mcllroy would have been proud of!
Leeds had other chances – headers from Rodon and Struijk that should probably have been better executed and another clever dribble from Georginio saved at the foot of a post. But a 2 – 0 half-time lead was good reward.
The second half never really rose to the same heights. Valencia got a little bit physical at times and, unusually for a friendly, ended up with a man sent off for two yellow cards – one for some ‘handbags’ with Ampadu that saw Ethan get a totally undeserved yellow, and one for a lunge that caught Junior Firpo’s trailing leg. Georginio was still rampant at times but once the substitutions started the game deteriorated and I’m sure Farke was then thinking about that Pompey game. It was a little sloppy to allow the visitors to get a consolation right at the death; a poor headed clearance found Tejon on the edge of the box and his low shot took a couple of deflections before finding the right corner of the net. It’s hard to believe it would have happened like that had we had the first XI on the pitch at the time.
Almost 33,000 were inside Elland Road today suggesting that every home game will again be a sell-out, at least as long as we look like staging a promotion push again. Georginio was head and shoulders above everyone else today but the initial defence of Meslier, Firpo, Rodon, Struijk and Bogle looked steady and Ampadu and Gruev were tidy in midfield allowing Georgi to do his thing. We’ll need more from Willy Gnonto and Dan James out wide once the real thing starts but if we can continue to supply chances for Mat Joseph he looks the part at the moment. I for one can’t wait to see how it all begins to unfold!
Leeds: Meslier (GK), Bogle (Byram 60’), Firpo (Debayo 81’), Ampadu (C) (Crew 81’), Struijk (Wöber 64’), Rodon (Chambers 88’), Joseph (Bamford 76’), James (Piroe 64’), Georginio (Gelhardt 76’), Gnonto (Aaronson 64’), Gruev (Rothwell 64’). Sub not used: Darlow (GK).
Venue: Elland Road
Attendance: 32,973
Referee: James Bell
Booked: Ampadu (Leeds) Mir, Guerra (Valencia)
Sent-off: Mir (Valencia)
